Where Great Minds Meet

Intelligence Squared

Channel · 17 Shows

Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated twice weekly
Business

Business

Updated weekly
Business

Business

Updated 04/08/2024
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated 11/04/2023
Business

Business

Updated 12/09/2023
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated weekly
Business

Business

Updated 21/07/2022

3 days ago

Does The World Still Need America? with Shadi Hamid

What would a world without American leadership look like? Shadi Hamid joins Intelligence Squared co-host Conor Boyle to discuss his book The Case for American Power and why he changed his mind about America’s role in the world. They explore the legacy of the Iraq War, the contradictions of American foreign policy and whether the United States remains essential to a more peaceful and democratic world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
6 days ago

The Truth About Trump's Venezuela Oil Deal, with Anne Applebaum

Who stands to benefit from Donald Trump’s Venezuela oil deal? Anne Applebaum joins Intelligence Squared co-host Conor Boyle to discuss her investigation for The Atlantic into Trump’s dealings in Venezuela since the removal of Nicolás Maduro in January 2026. They explore the opaque agreements reshaping the country’s oil industry, Washington’s ties to the surviving regime and whether promises of democratic change are giving way to the pursuit of profit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
4 days ago

Shakespeare vs Milton: The Kings of English Literature Debate [Archive]

Nearly four centuries after his death, no writer has come close to matching Shakespeare’s understanding of the world – or his gift for dramatic poetry. It’s not just kings and queens that he captured so uniquely in his transcendent verse. Shakespeare analysed the human condition, not just for Elizabethan England, but throughout the world and for eternity. Britain may not have matched the Continent for music or art but when it comes to literature, Shakespeare sees off all international rivals, whether it’s in the spheres of comedy, tragedy or the sonnet. Even today you and I quote Shakespeare without knowing it: if you act more in sorrow than in anger, if you vanish into thin air or have ever been tongue-tied, hoodwinked or slept not one wink, you’re speaking the Bard’s English. Milton, say his fans, works on an altogether different, higher plane. In Paradise Lost – the best poem ever written in English – Milton moved beyond the literary to address political, philosophical and religious questions in a way that still resounds strongly today. In his complex, intellectual poetry he drilled down deep into the eternal truths and sought to embody new scientific discovery in his work. His engagement with the issues of the day – with the nature of knowledge, slavery, free will, love and creation – was unparalleled. Despite complete blindness in middle age, he was the English republic’s best known, most fervent apologist, and a key civil servant for Oliver Cromwell. In his other works, notably in Areopagitica, his attack on censorship, he showed himself as much a master of prose as poetry. He defines not only his age, but our own. To help you decide who should be crowned king of English letters we brought together advocates to make the case for each writer, and they called on a cast of leading actors to illustrate their arguments with readings from the works. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 day ago

China and Africa: The Hidden History of a Global Power Shift, with Paul Kenyon

China’s relationship with Africa is often presented as a recent contest for minerals and influence. However, journalist Paul Kenyon argues that the relationship rests on centuries of history, with alliances forged in the struggle against Western colonialism. He charts how China has managed, since the 1950s, to control much of Africa's natural resources, consumers, workforce and political institutions. In this episode, Margherita Volpato speaks to Paul Kenyon. In his latest book, China’s African Empire: The Country That Captured a Continent, he explores the new economic and political hierarchies that shape our modern world. Paul Kenyon is a BAFTA award-winning journalist who has worked for almost twenty years across BBC News and Current Affairs. He is the author of numerous books including Dictatorland and China’s African Empire: The Country that Captured a Continent. Margherita Volpato is Senior Producer at Intelligence Squared. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2 Nov

What Happens If Billionaires Control the Tools of War? With Sharon Weinberger

For decades, Silicon Valley liked to tell a story about itself: brilliant outsiders, working beyond government, moving faster than institutions ever could. But that story leaves something rather important out. The American military and intelligence agencies helped to finance the technologies, companies and ambitions that made the Valley powerful. With governments increasingly relying on privately owned satellites, software, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, we’re going to explore why the people who control those systems are not simply contractors. They have fortunes, political commitments and power of their own. So who is serving whom? In this episode, Margherita Volpato speaks to Sharon Weinberger. In her new book is Valley of Death: How Big Tech Is Fueling the Future of War, she outlines why governments are increasingly reliant on privately owned satellites, software, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, and what it means for this level of control to be in the hands of private contractors. Together, they will explore: who is serving whom? Sharon Weinbeger has reported on national security, science and technology for more than 25 years. She is editor-in-chief of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and was previously national security editor at The Wall Street Journal. Her new book is Valley of Death: How Big Tech Is Fueling the Future of War. Margherita Volpato is Senior Producer at Intelligence Squared. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 Nov

Is Politics Beyond Satire? Live with Armando Iannucci, Jan Ravens and Jess Phillips [Archive]

Has satire lost its power in this new world of fake news and ‘alternative facts’ - when our leaders lie so blatantly and frequently, and still manage to get away with it? Or is humour a more important tool than ever to hold those in power to account? We were joined by celebrated comedy writer and producer Armando Iannucci, Labour MP Jess Phillips, and satirist and impressionist Jan Ravens to unpack these questions live on stage at the Union chapel in London. The event was chaired by journalist, writer and broadcaster Samira Ahmed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
25 Aug

What John Berger Saw That We Still Don’t, with Tom Overton

John Berger transformed the way generations thought about art, politics and the act of looking. Best known for Ways of Seeing, his work ranged across migration, capitalism, war and mortality, always asking how culture can help us understand the world around us. In this episode, writer and academic Shahidha Bari speaks with Tom Overton about his new book, John Berger: From Life. Overton first got to know Berger while cataloguing his archive at the British Library, where forgotten photographs, letters and manuscripts would prompt unexpected phone calls from Berger himself: “Can I tell you a story?” Why does Ways of Seeing still feel so radical? How did Berger’s politics shape his writing on art, migration and power? And why does his work continue to speak so directly to the present? Overton reflects on Berger’s collaborators, his political commitments and the enduring generosity of a thinker who believed art could create connection across time. Tom Overton is a writer, editor and researcher. His new book, John Berger: From Life, draws on his personal relationship with Berger and years spent working with his archive. Shahidha Bari is a writer, academic and broadcaster. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
4 Nov

What Do the Dead Internet Theory and Russian Intelligence Operations Have in Common? With Carl Miller

The dead internet theory began as an obscure online conspiracy. Its proponents claimed the internet had been overrun by bots and automated content. In 2021, much of it sounded paranoid. Today, parts of the theory are beginning to look uncomfortably plausible. According to Cloudflare, machines now generate more web traffic than people, while AI-generated music, images and writing are flooding online platforms. Some material is even designed not for human readers, but for other bots and AI systems that retrieve and cite it. In this episode, Mia Sorenti speaks with researcher Carl Miller about an internet increasingly shaped by machines talking to machines. Drawing on new research from Demos, Carl sheds light on findings that suggest Russian propagandists are already manipulating the information served up by LLMs - and how we can fight back in a new age of information warfare. Carl Miller is a Demos Fellow and co-founder of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media. He is co-author of the Demos report GEO for Geopolitics. Mia Sorenti is Senior Producer at Intelligence Squared. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
13/07/2021

The Truth about Fake News, with Marcus Gilroy-Ware and Richard Seymour

We are supposed to have more information at our disposal now than at any time in history. So why, in a world of rising sea levels, populist leaders and a global pandemic, do so many people believe bizarre and untrue things?In this week's episode Marcus Gilroy-Ware speaks to Richard Seymour about his new book 'After the Fact?' what he thinks really created the conditions for mis- and disinformation, from fake news and conspiracy theories, to bad journalism and the resurgence of extreme politics. To buy the book click here: https://amzn.to/3ATHxMg Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
18 Oct

Why Are People Having Fewer Children Than They Want? With Camilla Cavendish

In England and Wales, the total fertility rate fell to 1.39 children per woman in 2025. More than half of the world’s countries and areas are now below the level at which a population replaces itself without migration. Yet those numbers cannot tell us whether people are freely choosing smaller families, struggling to find a partner, leaving parenthood too late or being priced out of the future they wanted. In this episode, Margherita Volpato speaks to Camilla Cavendish, Baroness Cavendish of Little Venice. In her new book, Generation Maybe: Why We’re Having Fewer Children, and What It Means for Us All, she investigates why birth rates are falling across very different countries and what those falling rates reveal about the way we live. By the end, Cavendish explains why the baby bust is not simply a story about babies, but about whether people can imagine and build a different future. Camilla Cavendish, Baroness Cavendish of Little Venice is an award-winning journalist, Financial Times columnist, and Harvard Kennedy School research fellow. Margherita Volpato is Senior Producer at Intelligence Squared. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ideas shape the world. Intelligence Squared brings you the conversations that explain them.In every episode, we bring together leading thinkers, writers, scientists, policymakers and entrepreneurs, to challenge assumptions, test ideas and debate the questions shaping our future. If you want to think more clearly about the world and where it's heading, you're in the right place. If you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today. Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Society & Culture
Breaking down the economic ideas we’ve all heard of but may not fully understand in under 15 minutes. Host Nicola Walton is joined by an economics expert each week to take us through the terminology, statistics and stories of how economic forces shape our world and lives. Brought to you by Intelligence Squared. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Business
In our age of disruption and uncertainty, Covid-19 and climate change, the need to debate our economic future has never been more important. We speak to business leaders, authors, public intellectuals and economists about the future of capitalism and the trends changing the world of economics & business.For more information head over to IntelligenceSquared.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Business
How I Found My Voice is the podcast that explores how some of the world’s greatest artists and thinkers became such compelling – and unique – communicators. This Intelligence Squared podcast goes behind the celebrity persona to understand their journeys and inspirations – from writing a childhood diary to first performing on stage or finding the courage to speak up. Hosted by the BBC journalist Samira Ahmed, guests include Graham Norton, Margaret Atwood, Katherine Ryan, Michael Palin, Gloria Estefan, David Lammy and Bernardine Evaristo. The series producer is Farah Jassat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Society & Culture
Chris Hirst, CEO of Havas advertising group, cuts through the bullsh*t and gets to the heart of modern leadership. In this straight talking podcast he interviews leaders from Clive Woodward to June Sarpong on how to inspire, how to keep going when sh*t hits the fan, and ultimately how to get stuff done. Brought to you by Intelligence Squared. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Business

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Welcome to Arts & Culture by Intelligence Squared. Here we delve into the artistic and cultural moments, movements and conversations that have shaped, and are still shaping, our world. In this podcast Intelligence Squared speaks to some of the world’s greatest orators, writers, actors and artists. Guests include Stephen Fry, Margaret Atwood, Bernardine Evaristo, Salman Rushdie, Kate Winslet, Simon Schama, Tom Hiddleston and Marina Abromović. Join us every week as we feature the best of culture today and revisit some of the best live podcasts we have produced over the last twenty years. For more information head over to IntelligenceSquared.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Society & Culture

Intelligence Squared podcast is the home of lively debate and deep-dive discussion. To listen ad-free, enjoy exclusive content and early access to new episodes, hit subscribe for a 7-day free trial of IQ2 Extra. Our bonus content includes Bright Sparks: quickfire Q&As bringing you closer to some of the brightest minds on the planet. First up is Nobel Prize-winning psychologist, Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow. Early access brings you our Friday shows 48hrs in advance and you can enjoy all of our upcoming listens ad-free. We take you to the heart of the issues that matter, in the company of the world’s sharpest thinkers and most exciting orators. Join the debate, live and online, at www.intelligencesquared.com and download our podcasts every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

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Does The World Still Need America? with Shadi Hamid

The Truth About Trump's Venezuela Oil Deal, with Anne Applebaum

Shakespeare vs Milton: The Kings of English Literature Debate [Archive]

China and Africa: The Hidden History of a Global Power Shift, with Paul Kenyon

What Happens If Billionaires Control the Tools of War? With Sharon Weinberger

Is Politics Beyond Satire? Live with Armando Iannucci, Jan Ravens and Jess Phillips [Archive]

What John Berger Saw That We Still Don’t, with Tom Overton

What Do the Dead Internet Theory and Russian Intelligence Operations Have in Common? With Carl Miller

The Truth about Fake News, with Marcus Gilroy-Ware and Richard Seymour

Why Are People Having Fewer Children Than They Want? With Camilla Cavendish

Get exclusive episodes, ad-free listening and more

John Gray and David Runciman on Finding Meaning in a Post-Liberal World

Mariana Mazzucato and Stella Creasy on Making and Taking in the Global Economy, PART 1

Eighty Is The New Thirty: A Guide To Getting Older, PART 3

Thomas Friedman on the Future of America and the World: The Post-Election Dissection

Ctrl, Alt, Delusion: Resetting Reality In The Manosphere

Debate: It’s Time To Ditch the Canon of Great White Men, Part 2

Keir Starmer, Will Hutton, Alastair Campbell and Sonia Sodha on How to Remake Britain, Part Three

Simon Schama on Pandemics and the Health of Nations, Part Two

The 12 Books of Christmas | The Anxious Generation: Jonathan Haidt on How Smartphones Rewired Childhood

Politics in the Age of Chaos with Rafael Behr

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